FEMALE GENITAL TUBERCULOSIS - REPORT OF 7 CASES

Seven cases of histologically proven genital tuberculosis (TB) encount ered at the National Taiwan University Hospital in the past 16 years w ere reviewed, From a total of 54,576 gynecologic specimens submitted f or pathologic examination, the occurrence of genital TB was 0.01%. Of these seven patients, one suffered from primary infertility and one fr om secondary infertility. The patient with primary infertility had bee n married for 29 years. The patient with secondary infertility underwe nt a tuboplasty due to bilateral hydrosalpinx. Genital TB was not diag nosed preoperatively in any of the seven cases. The preoperative diagn oses included: postmenopausal spotting, ovarian malignancy, cervicitis , ectopic pregnancy and hydrosalpinx with secondary infertility. This review suggests that genital TB is becoming rare in Taiwan. It is diff icult to diagnose from clinical symptoms and is usually discovered on pathologic examination.